If you have ever tried any other hand made soaps, then you know that not every bar is the same. Scents will vary, as so will ingredients, but the finished bar of soap can vary greatly even if the ingredients are fairly similar. Here are some of the reasons that make Wyldewood Soap a little different.
The Goat Milk –
Here at Wyldewood, we use fresh, frozen goat milk in every batch. When we milk our goats, that milk is immediately brought in, filtered and measured. Then it is straight into the freezer where it stays until we pull it out for soaping. We partially thaw the milk before adding sodium hydroxide in an effort to keep the milk as cool as possible. Mixing sodium hydroxide and water or goat milk is an exothermic reaction, meaning it gives off heat. If you have never seen this reaction, it can get very hot very fast and if not done properly, the milk will be ruined by too much heat.
Oils and/or Butters
Each bar of our soap will have an ingredient list on the back. We believe that you should know every ingredient in any of our products. We have developed our soap recipe over the past 15 years and each ingredient is there for a reason and contributes specific properties to the finished bar of soap. You won’t see a lot of specialty oils and butters in our soaps because we feel that these are best used in leave on products. The process of soap making (called saponification) means that the molecules of sodium hydroxide react with the fatty acid chains in oils and butters to produce glycerin and a fatty acid salt (aka soap). Since the oils in our recipe will be chemically reacting with lye, we choose them based on the properties they will give to our finished soap and we save the specialty oils and butters for recipes that let you receive all their skin loving benefits.
Our Soap Making Process and Curing Process
Here at Wyldewood, we typically use the cold process method of soap making. Cold process soap making basically means that we do not add any extra heat as part of the curing process. We mix our soap and then pour each batch in a mold. The soap will stay in the mold overnight at least and then we cut into bars and place the bars on curing racks. Each batch will then cure for weeks before we will label and sell them. While most of the chemical process is completed in the first 24-48 hours, we feel that allowing a longer cure makes the bar milder and allows excess water to evaporate. A well cured bar of soap will last much longer and cleanse better. We also keep records on every batch so that we can ensure quality and make sure you get the best soap possible. Some fragrances or colors can shift over time or added ingredients may not hold up like we expect and a longer cure allows us to monitor for any problems.
We are passionate about soap making and are constantly researching to make sure we bring you the best soaps and other products. If you ever have any questions on the ingredients we use or why we chose to use a certain ingredient, feel free to contact us and ask. We love talking soap and goats!